Spotted lantern fly infestation

[Fighting Sioux]

I haven't tried the pepper spray (one of my plants is actually flowering already which is on the early side) but I did try putting some tea tree oil in water and spraying them - it did nothing. We also tried traps of apple cider vinegar and dawn dish soap which again did nothing. Insecticidal soap didn't do much either. The most effective thing we've done has been vacuuming them up. The advice from fomularacer was spot on - they don't see transparent hoses so well. Found a hand vac with a clear body and clear tube attachment. You need to put you hand on the other side of the stem and kind of heard them toward the vac. Also, since they climb up the stem to get away it works best if you vacuum from the top down. I wonder how cannabis farms in my state are dealing with this...

 

[weedstoner420]

We have them where I'm at, they don't really seem to do much direct damage to any of the plants in our garden (not growing weed outside so can't speak to that), but the honeydew/poop could definitely pose a problem...

One thing I've seen some folks do on trees is put sticky tape around the base of the stalk, so they can't climb up it. Obviously that wouldn't work for the flyers but seems to help during the two non-flying stages...

 

[brogro]

I use this. The tube is 3/8 pex, wrapped with duct tape to fit. I removed the paper filter. 3 years ago I saw 10 all summer, last summer I saw 50, this summer I kill 150 per day. From Asia, as are the carp, snake heads, brown beetles, green beatles, stink bugs and inferior can openers and other household stuff.

They will try to run and hide behind the stems but you'd be surprised how your fingers will guide them right into the vacuum tube. With practice and observation you'll be getting 150 in an hour too.

 

[Fighting Sioux]

We have them where I'm at, they don't really seem to do much direct damage to any of the plants in our garden (not growing weed outside so can't speak to that), but the honeydew/poop could definitely pose a problem...

One thing I've seen some folks do on trees is put sticky tape around the base of the stalk, so they can't climb up it. Obviously that wouldn't work for the flyers but seems to help during the two non-flying stages...

I use this. The tube is 3/8 pex, wrapped with duct tape to fit. I removed the paper filter. 3 years ago I saw 10 all summer, last summer I saw 50, this summer I kill 150 per day. From Asia, as are the carp, snake heads, brown beetles, green beatles, stink bugs and inferior can openers and other household stuff.

They will try to run and hide behind the stems but you'd be surprised how your fingers will guide them right into the vacuum tube. With practice and observation you'll be getting 150 in an hour too.

 

[Fighting Sioux]

I don't know how many I got yesterday - it's a little hard to see with the reflections outside...

 

[hostagecs]

I don't know how many I got yesterday - it's a little hard to see with the reflections outside...

looks like a damn pinata of bugs in there

 

[formularacer]

My numbers of juvenile lantern flies has dropped. I am starting to see adult lantern flies but now where near the number that I had. Seeing one or two on a plant. No real damage so far. I think last year when I did Neem and Dawn it hurt the plants more than the lantern flies.
Some one said that bats like them thinking of adding a bat house.

Any one have any observations?

 

[Fighting Sioux]

We've been vacuuming regularly and it has definitely decreased the population. We're only getting a few adults - I sucked one up this morning and the rest were nymphs. I'm not seeing much damage and not much of the honeydew anymore. I'm probably doing more damage with the vacuum catching leaves at this point.

Bats are cool but how would they get the flies? The flies tend to stay on the stems and don't really fly around, and when they do jump away they go right back onto another plant. Bats come out at night (admittedly I have no idea what the damn lantern flies do at night and I highly doubt I will be going down to my growing area after dark to find out) and fly around at a pretty high altitude - would they really go after lantern flies? It's an interesting idea though. I think in China they're experimenting with parasitic wasps, not that that does us any good here.

 

[Budzbuddha]

 

[Fighting Sioux]

Making any progress?
Seeing fewer. I had been using the vacuum but the raccoon pushed it into a bucket 1/2 55 gallon drum and killed it.
So a new vacuum is on the list.

We were a little lax about vacuuming this past week and they were terrible again this morning. Maybe the most I've seen yet. Vacuumed up more this morning than I have before too. Saw 5-6 adults - got all but one of them. Sorry about the racoon - sounds kinda funny though.

On the other hand, most of my plants are taller than last summer - many are 6-7 ft tall, one has to be 8 feet, (hard for me to measure as I'm only 5 feet tall) so the flies don't seem to be hurting them too much. A few are already flowering, one started making trichomes 2 weeks ago. I just wish I didn't have to spend the time vacuuming.

 

[Fighting Sioux]

Yeah they're like a mosquito to a plant sucking all the plant stuff out and like you said leave honeydew which will attract other nasties bugs. I just watched on news a winery has them and made traps for them. Something for them to crawl up in then put sticky tape all inside then have to check every couple days. See if can make a few around plant. On trees or even a long pole to put traps. Good luck...

Sorry for not responding before. Did the news story say what the traps were made of that they caught the flies in? I just emailed a licensed cannabis farm here in New York and asked what they were doing. Will let you all know if they have any good advice.

 

[hostagecs]

We were a little lax about vacuuming this past week and they were terrible again this morning. Maybe the most I've seen yet. Vacuumed up more this morning than I have before too. Saw 5-6 adults - got all but one of them. Sorry about the racoon - sounds kinda funny though.

On the other hand, most of my plants are taller than last summer - many are 6-7 ft tall, one has to be 8 feet, (hard for me to measure as I'm only 5 feet tall) so the flies don't seem to be hurting them too much. A few are already flowering, one started making trichomes 2 weeks ago. I just wish I didn't have to spend the time vacuuming.

tbh i've had a lot of bugs more this year than i remember, just random bugs in general

 

[Fighting Sioux]

tbh i've had a lot of bugs more this year than i remember, just random bugs in general

Yeah, we have a ton of yellow jackets this year. Haven't gotten stung yet but of course now that I said that I'm probably gonna get nailed next time I go outside.

 

[hostagecs]

Yeah, we have a ton of yellow jackets this year. Haven't gotten stung yet but of course now that I said that I'm probably gonna get nailed next time I go outside.

yeah i caught a yellow jacket with some pliers when he was eating an inch warm and drowned him before he told his friends to check out my side yard

 

[Fighting Sioux]

yeah i caught a yellow jacket with some pliers when he was eating an inch warm and drowned him before he told his friends to check out my side yard

All his friends are already here!

 

[hostagecs]

All his friends are already here!

if you are super worried, tennis racket will keep them off you, but don't quit swinging and pace yourself, act like you are at the us open or something

 

[Fighting Sioux]

if you are super worried, tennis racket will keep them off you, but don't quit swinging and pace yourself, act like you are at the us open or something

No tennis racket but I do have an electric fly swatter. But I can't be swinging away in my growing area - it's too dense. I'd do too much damage I'm afraid. I topped most of the plants and trained the big stems out so they would fill in - I can barely walk in there! As my brother would say - it's a high class problem.

 

[hostagecs]

No tennis racket but I do have an electric fly swatter. But I can't be swinging away in my growing area - it's too dense. I'd do too much damage I'm afraid. I topped most of the plants and trained the big stems out so they would fill in - I can barely walk in there! As my brother would say - it's a high class problem.

View attachment 5476466

i had one not like my shit the other day, i quickly grabbed a 3 foot piece of pvc, he was coming at me fast i had two strikes and was willing to be stung, third swing i sent him somewhere but since i couldn't find him i decided to go back into the garage for a moment

 

[Dboybudz]

Sorry for not responding before. Did the news story say what the traps were made of that they caught the flies in? I just emailed a licensed cannabis farm here in New York and asked what they were doing. Will let you all know if they have any good advice.

All good bud, they just said homemade trap with a box and filled inside with sticky stuff to catch them. Needed to empty every few days and put in trees next to plants. Pretty bad infestation in New York I'm in CT so not to far away unfortunately I'll probably be dealing soon. Yea let us know what they do.

 

[Fighting Sioux]

I heard back from the grower and owner of Supernaturals in New Paltz NY. They haven't seen lantern flies this summer so he didn't have anything other then to suggest netting to keep them out. If the flies are crawling up the stems at the beginning of the season then I'm not sure netting would work. But if someone wants to try that next year you should make sure to find and destroy as many of their egg masses as possible before next season.